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On the diffuser row and the “young boys” of F1

Apologies if this blog has developed a heavy Formula One slant of late, but with the new season fast approaching and the sport generating Monty Pyphon-esque levels of farce of late there’s been a lot to write about.

A diffuser. (Picture stolen without permission from BBC Sport - soz)

Latest in the parade is the diffuser row. A diffuser is a complex aerodynamic part (pictured above), found underneath the car at the back, which is capable of having a significant impact on performance by adding downforce and therefore grip. Three teams, Toyota, Williams and Brawn GP, have been accused by some (not all) teams that their diffusers are illegal under the new rules.

Today (in our time), these teams were cleared to race in Melbourne, but it’s likely the other teams will appeal after the race pending a hearing after the Malaysian GP. Were this appeal to be granted, it’s quite possible the results of both races would be ammended — a quite ridiculous situation for a modern sport to be in.

In any case, I don’t really want to go much deeper than this, though if you’re interested in, or more likely confused by, the diffuser row there’s an excellent post by Oliver White at BlogF1.co.uk that covers all the bases.

No, what I’d really like to highlight is an amusing and very insightful post by former ITVF1 commentator James Allen on his blog, where he compares F1’s current state to the the needs of boys when they’re growing up. In his own words:

There’s a great book for parents of young boys, called “Raising Boys’ by a Steve Biddulph. As a parent of two boys I have read it closely.

One of the key premises in the book is that boys, unlike girls, are quite straight forward. They will behave themselves and fall into line as long as three key elements are clear to them

1. Who’s in charge?
2. What are the rules?
3. Will those rules be fairly applied?

I actually think that things don’t change much when boys become men and a lot of what happens in the world’s trouble spots reflects the fact that something has broken down in this schematic, usually when boys/men perceive that there is some kind of vacuum or uncertainty.

Not remotely what?

"On Earth, Belgium refers to a small country. Throughout the rest of the galaxy, Belgium is the most unspeakably rude word there is."

Who is Andy Vandervell?

I'm a technology journalist and Deputy Editor at TrustedReviews, one of the largest consumer tech review sites in the UK. I was previously Deputy Technology Editor at Which?, the UK equivalent of Consumer Reports and the largest consumer magazine in the UK.